Simple Circuit Additions Power A Microcontroller Through Its Load.

The article describes a simple circuit system necessary to power a microcontroller through its load. An illustration using an automotive check system that monitors an automobile's brake lights and reflects any fault through an incandescent bulb in the instrument cluster is presented to how this simple circuitry is achieved. The arrangement is said to eliminate the cost, weight and bulk associated with a separate supply wire and increase reliability. It shows that replacing the shunt regulator with a low-power series regulator allows for less energy consumption.